Maitland City Council invests in community-centric services

To meet the demands of one of New South Wales’ fastest growing regions and deliver a community-centric experience, Maitland City Council (MCC) in the lower Hunter region is embracing local Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider TechnologyOne’s SaaS+ to fast-track its transformation into a true digital council.

As part of its ongoing Customer Driven Transformation Program, the implementation of TechnologyOne’s OneCouncil Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) will be accelerated through the provider’s SaaS+ offering, replacing MCC’s disparate systems with a centralised suite of business products designed specifically for the Australian local government sector.

Data from an IBRS report commissioned by TechnologyOne, ‘New Zealand Digital Citizens Continuing the Journey with Empathy’, found a lack of empathy in local government digital service design was contributing to growing disengagement from disadvantaged citizens. A trend that is suspected to be replicated within Australia. Maitland’s vision aligns with the report’s recommendations, investing in resources to deliver consistent services across a range of in-person and digital touchpoints including the implementation of a scalable data mart and core technology upgrades.

Jeff Smith, Maitland City Council General Manager said, “Over the last three years, we’ve worked hard to transform our services beyond recognition. As the region continues to grow, our customer expectations are outpacing our current service delivery, and our employees – who just want to do great work in the community – were voicing their frustrations about the barriers they were facing. Moving to SaaS is a critical step to realising our potential now and in the future.”

“TechnologyOne’s trusted solution not only offers us fresh ways to better support our customers, but it gives us the confidence that our solution can adapt as things change, our vision is to create a community-centric experience for customers and employees, to support one of NSW’s fastest growing regions.”

SaaS+ is a unique model that drives new standards in delivering on time, on budget implementation for ERP systems by acting like a safety net for local governments and placing the onus of the implementation’s success on the provider and not the council. Through partnering with TechnologyOne, Maitland City Council is not only supporting Australian-made software but driving forward innovation for the entire local government sector.

Ben Malpass, TechnologyOne’s local government lead said: “Maitland City Council has worked hard to place the community’s needs at the centre of everything it does, and we are thrilled to be supporting them as they scale their services to meet the demands of this growing region. With more than 36 years’ experience working with local governments across Australia, customer experience is the next frontier for local councils, and empathetic digital design will be key to getting it right.”

TechnologyOne’s OneCouncil supports more than 100 councils globally, with 73% of Australian and New Zealand residents living in a council powered by its solutions.